The invention relates to an adapter attached to a human or animal body at a stoma, a detachable lid on the adapter, and a connector for connecting an ostomy bag to the adapter. The adapter is of the kind which comprises a protruding section extending from the stoma, and mounting means for mounting a detachable lid onto the end of the protruding section.
The invention also relates to a method of connecting an ostomy bag to an adapter at a stoma and a method of removing an ostomy bag from an adapter at a stoma. A lid exchanger for replacing the lid on the adapter with a replacement lid and a method of using the lid exchanger are also provided.
Many diseases such as e.g. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, intestinal cancer and adenomatous polyposis or bladder cancer require removal of all or part of the intestines or bladder. When the intestines or the bladder are removed, the bodily wastes are expelled through a new surgical opening in the abdominal wall. The surgery to create the new opening, the stoma, is called ostomy.
Once the stoma has been created, an external bag, typically called an ostomy bag, is connected to the stoma in order to collect bodily waste. When the ostomy bag is filled, it is removed and emptied. Some ostomy bags can be cleaned and reused while other ostomy bags are discarded and replaced with new ones.
The ostomy bag can be connected directly to the stoma by attaching it to the skin with an adhesive substance. However, typically the ostomy bag is detachably connected to an adapter mounted at the stoma. The adapter is usually attached to the body at the stoma with an adhesive wafer. This means that the bag can be emptied or replaced more frequently without needing to disrupt the adhesive contact at the body.
New adapters however have recently been developed which can be implanted into the body at the stoma. See for example European patent application 1632201. These “implants” become an integrated part of the body which creates a stronger and more robust connection between the body and the adapter. In addition, it is not necessary to use an adhesive substance to attach the adapter to the body.
There are many different types of systems which allow ostomy bags to be connected to an adapter at a stoma. One example of such a system is provided by WO 03/013404. WO 03/013404 provides a coupling for connecting an ostomy bag to an adapter having a tubular protruding section. The adapter could either be attached to the skin around the stoma with an adhesive or the adapter could be surgically implanted at the stoma. The coupling according to WO 03/013404 clamps onto the tubular protruding section of the adapter when the user presses two co-axial discs together. The user releases the bag from the adapter by pulling the two co-axial discs away from each other. The two co-axial discs are located on the inside surface of the ostomy bag.
However, the big disadvantage with currently available systems is that during the exchange procedure, both the adapter and the bag are open. This means that there is a risk of odors or waste leaking from the stoma and/or the bag. This makes exchanging the ostomy bag a rather unpleasant task.